Fire-lighting device.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FIRE-LIGHTING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 27, 1906.

Application filed May 13, 1905. Serial No. 260,294.

T0 all whom t may con/cern:

Be it known that I, MILES LEMUEL MAR- TIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Thomasville, in the county of Thomas and State of Georgia, have invented a new and useful Fire-Lighting Device, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to fire-lighting apparatus, and is primarily designed for use in connection with cooking-stoves and the like for automatically igniting the fuel at any predetermined time.

Other objects reside in providing for conveniently setting the apparatus to insure the prompt and effective ignition of the fulminate head of an ordinary match and to project the latter from the apparatus into the material to be ignited.

With these and other objects in view the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes in the'form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the apparatus fitted to a cooking-stove, portions of the upright walls and the door of the ash-pit being broken away and a portion of the match-carrying arm being broken away to show the ejector therefor. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the device. Fig. 3 is a side elevation, parts being broken away to show the manner of supporting the controlling-weight in its elevated position.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in each and every figure of the drawings.

The present device has been primarily intended for use in connection with stoves having shelves or extensions projecting from the bottom of the ash-pit, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, wherein 1 designates the front portion of the ash-pit of a stove having the shelf or extension 2 extending in front thereof, the ash-pit door being designated 3. I make use of this shelf or extension 2 for the support of the present apparatus, which includes a match-carrying arm 4, disposed in a substantially horizontal position and fulcrumed intermediate of its ends, as at 5, upon a post which rises from the shelf 2. The forward end of this arm, which lies adjacent the ash-pit, is made tubular or provided with a longitudinal socket 6, in which works a plunger 7, having a projection or finger-piece S,

working in a longitudinal slot 9 in the tubular portion of the arm for convenience in forcing the plunger 7 back against the helical spring 10, which is housed within the back of the socket and bears against the plunger to project the same forwardly.

In front of the match-carrying arm or lever 4 there is a match-striker 11, which is arcuate inform and made of spring metal with its outer end pivotally carried by a post 12, rising from the shelf 2, there being a stop proj ection 13 rising from the shelf in rear of the swinging striker 11 to limit its movement toward the ash-pit.

A chain or cord 13 is connected to the rear end of the match-carrying arm or lever and passes across a horizontally-disposed guide roller or pulley 14, mounted to rotate upon a post 15, rising from the shelf 2, and thence passing downwardly around a guide-pulley 16, mounted upon a horizontal axis on a bracket 17, supported upon the shelf, there being an opening 18 in the shelf through which the chain or cord depends. The lower end of this chain or cord is connected to a weight 19, which is carried by the lower end of a guide-rod 20, working vertically through an opening 21 in the shelf 2, as best shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. Upon reference to Fig. 3 it will be noted that the guide-rod 2() is provided with a lateral shoulder or seat 22, adapted to rest uponthe top of the shelf or platform 2, so as to support the weight in an elevated position, the opening 21 being of a size to permit of sufficient lateral movement of the guide-rod 2() to disengage its shoulder 22 from the shelf or platform and permit of the guide-bar and the weight 19 gravitating thereby to swing the match-carrying arm or lever 4 from the dotted-line position in Fig. 1 to its full-line position for wiping the fulminate head of a match 23 across the striker 11.

IOO

The means for tripping the controllingf IOS IIO

trip-shaft is a trip cam or arm 28 to contact with the lower free end of an upright trip-lever 29, fulcrumed intermediate of its ends, as at 30, upon a bracket or hanger 31, depending from the shelf or platform 2, the upper end of the trip-lever being provided with a finger or projection engaging a lateral arm 33, carried by the guide-bar 20 of the weight 19, so that when the trip-lever 29 is tilted by the cam 28 the linger 32 will be pressed against the arm 33, and the rod 20 thereby shifted laterally in the opening 21 to disengage its shoulder 22 from the shelf or platform, and thereby permit gravitation of the weight and its guide-bar 20, so as to actuate the match-carrying lever. The upper end of the bar 20 is provided with a head or handle 34, designed to strike the top of the shelf or platform 2, and thereby limit downward movement of the weight before the matchcarrying lever can come into contact with the guide-pulley 14, this head or handle also serving for convenience in lifting the rod and the weight when setting the apparatus.

In practice the weight 19 is lifted and supported in its elevated position by engaging the shoulder 22 of the guide-bar 20 upon the top of the shelf or platform 2, after which the match-carrying arm or lever 4 is swung into the dotted-line position shown in Fig. 1, and a match-stem is inserted into the socket 6 against the pressure of the plunger 7 until only the fulminate head of the match is rojected beyond thc arm or lever, said fu minate head lying in engagement with the striker 11 adjacent its pivotal end, whereby the match is held against displacement from the lever. The alarm mechanism of the clock is of course wound and set before setting the actuating-weight and the match-carrying lever. When the alarm mechanism is tripped, the trip-shaft 26 will of course be rotated, whereby the cam 28 is swung downwardly against the trip-lever 29 and the iinger 32 of the latter pushes upon the arm 33 and unseats the weight-rod 20, which thereupon gravitates and swings the match-carrying lever 4 from the dotted-line position shown in Fig. 1 to the full-line position, thereby wiping the fulminate end of the match across the roughened portion 35 of the striker, which immediately ignites the match. As soon as the match escapes from the striker it is of course released, and the spring-plunger 7 automatically ejects the lighted match and rojects the same into the ash-pit, so as to ight the material therein, which in turn ignites the material upon the grate in the fireboX of the stove.

The head or handle 34 upon the guide-bar 20 is removable, preferably by means of a set-screw 36, to enable the insertion and removal of the bar through the opening 21 in the member 2, and there is a helical spring 37 embracing the bar and resting upon the base 2 to form a cushion for engagement by the head 34 to take up jar when the bar gravitates.

As best indicated in Fig. 3 of the drawings, it will be noted that the match-striker 11 is capable of sliding vertically -upon the post 12 in order that said match-striker may pass over the arm 4 from the dotted-line position of the striker at the left-hand side of the post in Fig. 1 to its full-line position at the righthand side of the post when setting the device.

Having fully described the invention, what is claimed is- A 1. A fire-lighting device having a movable match-carrying member, means for striking a match by the movement of the match-carrying member, and means to discharge a match from the match-carrying member after the match has been ignited.

2. A fire-lighting device having a swinging match-carrying arm, a striker located in the path of the fulminate head of the match carried by the swinging member, and means to eject a match from the swinging member after it has been i nited by the striker.

3. A fire -lig ting device comprising a swinging match-carrying arm, means to eject a lighted match from the arm, and a striker arranged in the path of the fulminate head of a match carried by the arm and also constituting means for holding the match upon the arm against the action of the match-ejecting means, said means being active when the match escapes from the striker.

4. A fire -lighting device comprising a swinging match-carrying arm provided in one `end with a longitudinal socket and having a spring-pressed match-ejecting plunger working therein, and a striker arran ed in the path of the fulminate head of a matc carried within the socket, said striker also constituting means to hold a match in the socket of the arm against the pressure of the' plunger and the plunger being active to eject the match when the latter escapes from the striker.

5. A fire-li hting device comprising a swinging matc-carr ing arm, a match-receiving seat at the lree end of the arm, a striker in the path of the fulminate head of a match carried in the seat of the arm, and a tensioned'match-ejector for the seat, said striker constituting means to hold a match in the seat against the tension of the ejector until the swinging arm escapes from the striker.

6. The combination with a support, of a swinging match-carrying arm mounted thereon, a striker carried by the support in coperative relation with the arm, a guide upon the support, a flexible element engaging the guide with one end connected to the arm and the other end depending from the guide, a weight suspended by the flexible element below the support, a rod carried by the weight and working through the supportf` a shoulder z IOO IIO

upon the rod above the support to limit downward movement ofthe weight, means to support the weight in an elevated position, and means carried by the support to release the weight and permit gravitation thereof.

7. The combination with a support, of a swinging match Carrying arm thereon, a striker in cooperative relation with the arm, a guide upon the support7 a flexible element engaging the guide with one end connected to the arm and the other end depending from the guide7 a weight carried by the flexible element below the support7 a rod rising from the weight and working through the support, a shoulder upon the rod above the support to limit downward movement of the weight7 said rod being provided with another shoulder for engagement with the support to hold the weight elevated, a trip-lever fulerumed upon the under side of the support, and trip mechanism carried by the support for en gagement with the lever to swing the latter against the rod and displace the same from the support.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

MILES L. MARTIN.

Witnesses:

I-I. J. MACINTYRE, B. F. HEARN. 

